The Fantasizer
by ckaira77
Summary: After two years of training, the captain of the Royal Guard finally tells Papyrus the cold, hard truth about his future that wasn't going to be in the Royal Guard. Completely crushed by the news, Papyrus starts to change his ways of thinking. Sans, notices the sudden changes and gets suspicious of Papyrus. Right as things seemed like they couldn't get worse, he met someone...
1. Prologue

Curled up in a corner, that's where he sat, fighting back tears. His dreams were on the ground before him and they were smashed by Undyne's cold, hard spear of reality. Once, a Royal Guardsman in training, now, an ordinary monster. The memory came smashing back to his mind again, and again, and again. It would never go away.

"Undyne, why won't you let me into the Royal Guard?! You've been training me for almost two years now! I've beaten you several times in training! Most of the other monsters got in without breaking a sweat! In one week even! Why are you still training me and not-"

"Papyrus! It's three in the morning! Can't we talk this over when the sun actually rises?!"

"NO! Undyne, I've been beginning to believe that you will never let me into the Royal Guard. Why?! Answer me, WHY?!"

"You don't have the guts for it! Even if you did, you'd never be able to hurt anything! Not even a stupid fly! I'd never be able to let you in. Even if you had the guts, you're still too sweet and innocent! We'll talk more in the morning! Now go away, let me sleep, and DON'T COME BACK UNTIL THE SUN RISES!"

 _Slam!_

With the door slammed in his face, he realized. She just told him the entire truth that she'd been avoiding for two years. Now, it was finally out in the open. He was never going to be in the Royal Guard. He curled up into a tiny ball against the door and looked at all of his shattered dreams. What would Sans say about this? He'd probably get really mad at Undyne for saying this. Papyrus didn't want Undyne to get hurt or into trouble. He'd just have to not tell Sans about how his dreams were destroyed.

Slowly, as he fought back tears, he made his way towards home. The familiar sights of Snowdin were soon within sight and he instantly saw his house. He hoped Sans wasn't home to welcome him back from his confrontation. He hoped Sans was in his room or on the couch, asleep. He hoped that a horrible pun would be taped to the door so he'd have a reason to chew him out in the morning before he had to run the errands.

Sans was locked up in his room. There wasn't a pun taped to his door. Only the keep out signs. Papyrus opened the door and noticed his room was dark. Usually, he didn't sleep. Usually, he'd already be started on another batch of spaghetti. Normally, he'd be done with most of the chores that he had planned for the afternoon. That extremely early morning, nope. None of those were going to be a reality today. Papyrus looked at his race car bed. He wanted to one day drive down a long highway with the wind in his hair and sun on his skin. Was that just going to be a dream, too?! What was going to be real? What was going to only be a dream?! What was his future going to hold…?

Papyrus flopped into bed and closed his eyes. Maybe Sans will man up and do some of the chores for once. Maybe he won't have to wake up ever again. Maybe he can convince Sans to do what he says for once. And sleep slowly crawled to him on that dark morning.

It was a dreamless night with a rude awakening. While he was dreaming of blackness, an arm shook him gently. When he ignored it, it shook him harder!

"Bro, I know you don't take naps, you don't sleep in, you don't do THIS every morning! What's up?!"

Papyrus finally opened his eyes to see Sans. He looked worried. Well, this was all probably new to him. Papyrus sat up in bed and didn't feel much better from the previous night. He just wanted to go back to sleep.

"Sans, why'd you have to wake me up…? I'm starting to figure out why you like sleeping so much…," Papyrus told his brother groggily.

Sans shook his head at Papyrus. "Are you sick? Are you feeling okay? You said yourself on the phone with Undyne that you don't have to sleep. Seriously, what's up?"

The very mention of Undyne made Papyrus want to cry. He flopped back in bed and groaned. "I don't feel good… Can you run the errands today? I don't think I'm up for it…"

Sans checked Papyrus' temperature. "You don't have a fever. You can't possibly have the stomach flu. You look too well to have a cold. You don't look bad enough to be sick."

"I'm not going to talk about it… I just don't feel good and I want to stay in bed. My emotions are bouncing all over the place and you couldn't possibly understand this…," Papyrus explained.

Sans made a face that said 'Oh, really? Are you sure about that?'. Sans then looked to the ground and knew that his brother's behavior wasn't normal. He let out a long sigh. "Okay, Papyrus. If you're that sure that you're sick, I'll believe you. To be honest though, I don't think that it's sickness, I think it's something else. You know, who else can understand a bad day where you just want to do nothing more than me? I can run the errands for you today."

Papyrus was a little surprised. He had never seen Sans work. Did he even know how to run errands?! "Sans, you don't have to. You've never had to do them before. I'll just finish them tomorrow."

"I don't think that the enormous pile of dishes in the enormous sink quite agrees with you. Neither does all of the laundry. Neither do all of the dust bunnies. Neither does the snow on the roof."

Papyrus huffed. "Seriously, don't do it. It'd be too weird. Just don't."

Sans huffed back. "Who says that I can't?"

"Me."

However, Sans didn't wait. With a snap of his fingers he warped downstairs and only then did he realize what he had gotten himself into. He then recalled his promise to keep his promises. He then recalled how much he hated promises. It was going to be a long day…

Papyrus was asleep for longer than he thought he was going to be. He looked over at a clock. It was six in the evening! How could he possibly have slept that long?! He sprang out of his bed and went racing down the stairs and his eyes were opened wide.

"Wowie…"

Sans went overkill on the cleaning. Everything was dusted and polished. The entire living room was actually sparkling and he actually picked up his moldy sock! He fed his rock which was now covered in more sprinkles and the kitchen was beautiful. The dishes were done, the laundry was clean and neatly folded, and the countertops and stove were cleared and cleaned. The cabinets were well stocked up on supplies for more spaghetti and the floors were vacuumed and the windows were cleaned.

"Sans, I had no idea you had a hidden talent for cleaning… Speaking of Sans, where is he?" Papyrus asked.

He made his way outside and saw that the snow was cleared off of the roof and the sidewalk was cleared of snow and was salted. The wreath on the door was adjusted to look just right and Sans' mailbox was empty for once. Finally, he saw a pile of snow that had been the place where Sans shovelled it all, was him asleep on top of the snow pile with a sticky-note on his face. Papyrus read it out loud.

"'You have SNOW idea how long this took. You underestimate me, but don't expect this to become a habit…' Sans, you really didn't have to. I was going to do it, but you did a great job… HOWEVER, YOU CAN'T HAVE A SLUMBER PARTY IN A SNOW PILE!" Papyrus yelled as he plucked Sans from the snow pile and carried him inside.

Once Sans was moved inside and onto the couch, Papyrus figured it would be good for him to get some fresh air. He left a note on the door about where he was going in case if Sans woke up before he returned. As soon as he grabbed his scarf, he walked out the door.

He made his way towards Waterfall and recalled the night before. Sans' cleaning fiasco did help him to regain his old personality, but it would take a miracle for him to be the way he was before. The echo flowers began to pop up and whisper to him. Mostly the echo of the rushing water. He continued on. About half way through, he heard something different. It was a voice. He always found it interesting whenever a person talked directly to an echo flower. Almost like a message that was supposed to be passed on. He leaned in closer and listened.

 _Once upon a time…, there was… a princess! Yeah! Annnnnnnd… Uh… she was bored one day and asked her father to throw her a royal ball! He agreed and asked for everyone in the kingdom to come! As the people danced, she got attacked by the terrible dragon that took her away to the horrible Mountains of Smokenshire! The dragon kept her captive there… It was a long time since the dragon had live, human prey…_

The echo flower paused before repeating the whole tale all over again. Many of the other echo flowers in the area repeated the story as well. Papyrus was interested. The voice sounded like a girl's voice. Papyrus walked along and heard her say what she said after her story.

 _Man… That's awful! I should know better than to tell stories like that! Then again, who's going to be here to listen… Nobody ever came running to hear one of my stories. I've been ignored for a long time. I'm not in the minds or hearts of the monsters around here… I'll try a new story tomorrow! It's not like this story will ever get off the ground! Nobody's going to support me. With the amount of friends I have, I might as well be friends with the rocks. That's where my dreams lie… Broken in the rocks…_

Papyrus listened to her. She sounded sad. He sympathized with her. He looked around at all the echo flowers that told the story. He smiled with an idea. He was the Great Papyrus! It was up to him to bring her story to life! She was obviously going to come back at some point. He ran all the way back to the first flower and took a deep breath.

"However, little did the princess know, there was a hero who would save her!"


	2. Chapter 1 Chili Sauce

"Sans! Have you seen the chili sauce?!"

"Chili sauce?! You don't use chili sauce in spaghetti! Usually…," Sans said in response to Papyrus' request as he used magic to hand it to him.

Papyrus shook his head at Sans. "I'm not making spaghetti. I'm making chili. Haven't you ever heard of it?!" Papyrus demanded back. He felted a little pleased when he saw Sans' look of amazement.

"You've never made chili before…"

"Of course not! I've decided to do something new! I figured that I could learn to cook faster on my own by taking my own cooking courses that I found online rather than going to Undyne's spaghetti cooking class twice every week… Not that I have anything against Undyne!" Papyrus lied. However, he made it pretty obvious that he was lying. Thankfully, Sans was too busy being amazed by Papyrus' actions to notice.

"W-Wow! I can't believe that you came up with that plan because it sounds great! Might even inspire me to start cooking!" Sans said proudly.

As Papyrus cooked his chili, Sans thought to himself. Papyrus loved making spaghetti. "Uh…, what brought on the change? Why are you making chili rather than what you usually make? I don't think the reason is what you say it is…"

Papyrus looked over at his brother slightly surprised. Papyrus knew he couldn't lie about why. He shrugged. "A friend recommended it." He went back to cooking.

"A friend? Which friend? Do I know this person?" he asked remembering hearing someone tell him a while ago about how he'd talk to a yellow flower in Waterfall.

Papyrus seemed to pick up the mistrust in Sans' voice. "Don't worry. I assure you that my friend isn't bad. She's just a person I talk to every now and then."

Sans knew that it wasn't Flowey and he got a smug look. "Sheeeeeee? I had never thought that my younger brother would get a girlfriend before me!"

Before Sans could say another word, Papyrus pointed a spatula at him and looked serious. "It isn't like that. I haven't even met this person. I'm not dumb! I know that there are some people who aren't the greatest! However, if we didn't give anyone the benefit of the doubt, nobody would have any friends. You know, like you and your knock-knock joke companion in Snowdin Forest."

"H-How do you know about her…?" Sans asked awkwardly.

Papyrus waved his finger at Sans. "You should never underestimate the Great Papyrus! He knows more than you're giving him credit for! You're not the only one who pays close attention to things. I figured it out when I came to get you from your post in Snowdin Forest, but I found you mysteriously knocking on the door telling knock-knock jokes like there was someone there. I assumed it was nothing until I saw you constantly writing down knock-knock jokes and telling them at the door. Also, when you left, you always had this dumb, dreamy look on your face! Yes, I take close note in your facial expressions as well! I concluded by all of my facts that there was someone there, a woman and that you'd tell each other jokes through the door every day. That's how I found out."

Sans nodded to himself and looked impressed. "Yeah, well, what else do you expect a sentry to do while he waits for humans? Sit on his behind, twiddling his thumbs all day? Nah. Hardly sounds nearly as interesting as pleasing a lonely friend with jokes," he replied. He sighed as he remembered his promise to her. If a human fell down… Another human wouldn't fall down. It's been centuries. He made the promise because she was such a great audience and friend even though they had never met face to face and he knew that for her to enjoy such terrible jokes would mean that she had to be lonely. The fact she had nothing better to do than listen to him was proof enough. He snapped out of it and went back to Papyrus' special friend. "Well, do you know her name?"

With a shrug, Papyrus answered, "She never told me her name. I haven't told her mine. We've only just "met" each other a couple of nights ago. Since then, she has inspired so many things! I have even decided on a new possible career in book writing!"

"Book writing? Why that?" Sans questioned curiously.

"Honestly, I think we both know the results of Undyne's Royal Guard training… We both know my spaghetti is terrible… We both know that I don't have very many friends… So, I've decided that I should take a different path to a bright future! I shall paint pictures with words of imagery into the minds of my readers! I've already started practicing writing a few stories with the help of my friend! She's great with coming up with original ideas!" Papyrus answered excitedly.

Sans didn't look convinced with what Papyrus was saying. He still felt confused. "Are you saying that you've given up absolutely everything just because you didn't think you were going to get anywhere? That's crazy, Pap! I thought that you told me that you were going to pursue your dreams to the bitter end! I thought that you weren't going to give up so easily! What happened to the Papyrus who'd drag me to Snowdin Forest every single day at six in the morning for sentry duty? What happened to the Papyrus who'd never stop to take a rest because there was too much spaghetti to be made? What happened to the Papyrus who wanted to watch Mettaton's show forever on the couch…? The one who gets cranky without a bedtime story…," Sans said getting a little sentimental about it.

Papyrus sighed as he remembered the past. It seemed like it was so far away now. "Sans, I'm sure that you must find my sudden changes a shock, but there's not a single person who can remain in the past forever. I've decided to move on. To keep moving forward. I know that I'm too amazing to join the Royal Guard. I know it'll take a while to adjust to this new change I'm adding to my life, but there's a bright place far down the road. A place where I'll be respected, famous, and rich even from this new career I'm giving myself! But most importantly, it's a place where I won't be as alone. I'll have my real friends like her and you. That's why " Papyrus explained. He thought he made his finishing speech clear. He cleared his throat and turned back to the stove. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have chili to make!"

"Yeah…, sure…"

After a moment of wondering, Sans decided he'd pay a visit to Undyne. Maybe she knew something about all of this. He didn't know anybody else who would. As soon as he had left out the door, he warped himself over to Waterfall just outside of Undyne's house. He knocked on the door. Almost with no time in between, Undyne flung open the door.

"Papyrus! I'm sorry I- Oh. It's only you…," Undyne stated.

"Yeah. This 'You' person is here to ask you about something. However, your jumpiness about Papyrus knocking on the door sure does seem curious. Mind telling me why…?" Sans asked as he crossed his arms at Undyne.

Fear was written on Undyne's face. She'd been nearly pummeled by Sans once. It was a long time ago, but it was still fresh in her mind. Undyne stuttered out the first part of her sentence and she knew she was giving herself away. "O-Oh! N-Nothing at all! N-Nothing!"

Sans slyly looked at her nervous expression and shook his head. "Pap has been acting different lately… He has completely given up on being in the Royal Guard. He hasn't made a single batch of spaghetti in two days. You wouldn't know anything about this, would you?"

Undyne looked around for an excuse but found nothing. She finally heaved a sigh knowing she couldn't escape her fate. It was by careless words she had gotten into this mess, and it would be only by honest words would she get herself out. "I-I… I think I know why Papyrus has been acting differently…"

Sans hardly looked surprised. "Go on."

"About four nights ago, he came to my house. Well, actually it was three in the morning so I wasn't thinking very clearly then. I asked him why he was knocking on my door so early in the morning. He said he wanted me to train him some more. I said no. He asked me why. He asked me why he wouldn't just let me into the Guard. He told me it had been two years since he first started training… That was when I told him the truth… That he wouldn't ever be in the Royal Guard and… I slammed the door in his face…," Undyne admitted.

Sans wasn't at all pleased. He would have attacked her, but he knew that it was the truth. It also did explain why everything was happening. He took a deep breath. "Okay, while I'll admit that was a very unwise decision…, I suppose I can let you off the hook for telling the truth. However, I think that you need to make it up to Papyrus. He's taken up writing of all things. I looked in his room and I was greeted by mountains of notebooks! This isn't like him at all."

Undyne was actually surprised. "Writing?! Really?! Why?"

"He says he has this friend…," Sans stated.

Undyne shook her head. "Well, they're not me. I'd never inspire anything like THAT! You know, unless if he's planning on writing out this new awesome anime or something."

"He says that they've never met face-to-face. I'm pretty sure that they discovered each other here in Waterfall. However, I don't have any idea how they could have discovered each other if they didn't meet directly."

Undyne tapped her foot and thought to herself. She snapped her fingers with an idea. "The echo flowers! They could have left messages to each other through them! Unless, if this person doesn't actually exist and was just created by his imagination. I just don't think that he'd put himself through such change. No… Not without help he wouldn't…," Undyne explained.

Sans nodded suddenly glad for her help. Echo flowers. "Well, have you heard anything weird from the echo flowers lately?"

"No! I've been locked up in my house writing and rewriting an apology note to Papyrus! One note was never good enough! I was too busy with that to go outside and mail it!" Undyne replied.

"Well, I think that you should stake-out the Waterfall Area tonight. Of course, if anything happens, I'm sure your **MUSSELS** can take care of the problem!" Sans said with a smirk. Undyne groaned.

"I'm starting to see why Papyrus hates puns so much!" Undyne wailed.

"Sheesh! **CLAM** down! You don't have to **WHALE** it at me! You have **COD** to be kidding me! You don't like puns?!" Sans demanded.

"SHUT UP!"

"Aw… Don't be so **CRABBY**!" Sans replied.

"You'd better stop it now, or else-"

"What?! I can't **KELP** it!"

"NGAHHHHH! I told you to shut up! I **FISH** you would **SHRIMPLY** lay off of the puns! I'm **SHORE** you can change one day, and when that day comes, let **MINNOW**!" Undyne screamed as she stormed off towards the Waterfall.

Sans looked after her with an expression of pure joy. He called after her. "Quit being so **SHELLFISH**! Don't be **KOI** with me! I have to get some of the credit for puns around here!"

"I DON'T EVEN THINK YOU KNOW WHAT COY MEANS, BONEHEAD!"

"I probably don't!" Sans shouted back just before she left ear-shot. He laughed to himself and teleported back to his house. He'd come back to see Undyne tomorrow. He looked towards Papyrus who had finished his chili. "I'll find out what you're hiding from me, Pap. You can't hide anything from your older brother for long…"

"Nyeh? Oh! Sans! You're back! Did you say something?" asked Papyrus.

"Nothing, bro. I was just commenting on how amazing this lamp is," Sans replied pointing to the human-shaped lamp. Papyrus sighed.

"Really, Sans? Are you still stuck on that lamp? All that I think it is, is weird! Well, I finished the chili! What do you think?" Papyrus asked hopefully.

"Well, it smells amazing! I'll give you that," Sans said just before he tasted it.

The taste is indescribable!

"Whoa… I've never tasted something like this… It was… It was incredible! How'd you do it?!" Sans demanded.

Papyrus looked surprised. "Wow! You like it that much? Your reaction is nothing like when I'd make spaghetti… The spaghetti must've been really bad… Well, worry not! I, The Great Papyrus, have finally succeeded in making something amazing to taste!"

"I never said that your spaghetti was bad."

"Well, your reaction just now was proof enough. Also, I wanted to ask if I could go on another walk tonight. I just thought that maybe I could head over to Waterfall to get some fresh air…," Papyrus said.

Sans quickly nodded. "Of course, bro! I'd never stand in the way of you getting some cardiovascular exercise around Waterfall! You can go whenever you want!"

"Thank you, Sans! Also, feel free to have as much of my chili as you want! Tomorrow, I'll be making cinnamon rolls for breakfast! What do you think?" asked Papyrus.

Sans snickered at the irony. However, he didn't mention that everyone on the Internet called him their precious little cinnamon roll… "That's totally fine by me!"

Papyrus looked curious. "Sans, why are you giggling at me? Was there something funny about my choice of breakfast foods?"

"No. It was just really ironic."


	3. Chapter 2 Roleplay

"Undyne, are you there?" asked Sans into his phone. Undyne's loud, rambunctious voice boomed back through the speaker making Sans nearly go deaf.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'AM I THERE'?! I FREAKING ANSWERED THE PHONE! Who else would answer my phone?!" Undyne demanded.

"N-Nobody…," Sans answered.

"Well, I'm here like you asked. I hear a lot of chatter among the echo flowers tonight. Lots of people have come around here today it seems. I'm trying to find flowers with a girl talking. I would've heard Papyrus talking from one of these flowers from a mile a- way?"

Sans was surprised by her statement ending as a question. His hearing finally returned to normal and he turned his inner inquiries into vocal ones. "What's happening?! Did you find him or her? What did you find?"

"I-I hear Papyrus' voice…," Undyne stated.

"Tell me, what's he saying?"

"I'll put it on speaker."

Papyrus wasn't sitting too far away. He listened to the echo flower and then replied. "Indeed! The Great Papyrus does tend to take people by surprise! I didn't want you to believe you were alone, my friend! Okay, where were we…? Oh yes! The part where The Great Prince Papyrus came swooping in to save the princess from the dragon!"

He stood to his feet. He pulled out a sword that he had snagged from Undyne just for the occasion. Papyrus swung his sword at the imaginary dragon like he was actually fighting the imaginary fire-breathing lizard. "You shall never defeat me, foul beast! I, Prince Papyrus, shall free the princess from your blood-stained claws!" Papyrus continued to dance back and forth with his sword in an imaginary battle with it clanking up against the ground and slashing at the air with a swoosh! He laughed when he finally struck a "blow" on the dragon.

Undyne sat mesmerized by his performance. She had taught him herself how to use a sword. Papyrus was using every skill he had learned in an imaginary battle? Sans was surprised too. The sound effects were real and the situation sounded like it was right in front of him. Undyne silently cheered Papyrus on.

Claw after claw. Swing after swing. Dodge after a dodge. After what felt like hours which was actually only a mere minute, Papyrus pinned down the dragon with his sword and smiled victoriously. "Now, evil one, you shall leave this cursed place, never to return! If you shall even lay a single claw on my princess, you shall then drown in your own blood." As Papyrus recited what sounded like poetry to Undyne's ears, he drew away his sword that he had pointed to the ground and put it back in its sheath. His cape waved heroically in the wind that had somehow picked up. He picked up his phone and played a sound effect that sounded like the dragon flying away in defeat.

Sans slowly exhaled. That was why Papyrus was changing so much about himself. He was roleplaying as the person he's always wanted to be that he knew he never could be. His dreams had never satisfied him because he had never dreamed before. His lack of friends didn't help him and his innocence would never let him into the Royal Guard. However, here, in this small moment in the middle of paradise, he was Prince Papyrus performing the deed that only a fairy tale character would ever be able to perform. Sans felt Papyrus' passion for this. Why he was getting into story writing. Why he wanted to talk to his friend every night on a late night walk through Waterfall. Maybe, it was at night he wanted to do this so he'd dream about his amazing feats in his story?

Papyrus continued. He reached out his hand to the princess and said in a deep, charming voice, "I, Papyrus, have fought off the dragon… Now, your brilliance will never be stolen from your home, your voice will never have to cry for help again, and your heart will never again feel fear… I will fight off all danger that ever threatens you and I will never abandon you in your time of need. If you should ever cry, I'll comfort you. If you should ever call for me, I'll be there in an instant. When your king sent me, I came rushing to this place without any thought of whether if I got injured. I only thought of you. I guess, what I'm saying is that forever I shall love you, my princess. Even if you don't feel the same feelings, my heart, even then, will forever belong to you…," Papyrus stated romantically.

Undyne was shallowly breathing and was crying to herself. It was just like a movie. The kind that she'd cry at because of all of the romance. She was barely able to hold the phone still.

Sans was silent. He was absorbing every word. The feelings of sadness came to him. Why was Papyrus acting like this? Was his dream of joining the Royal Guard really so important to change him like this? He then wondered why HE was thinking like this. He played his part right! Also, change was only natural in life. Why did he suddenly miss the old Papyrus?

Papyrus suddenly stopped. He scratched the back of his neck. "I'm sorry! I didn't know what to say! I was just saying what I heard from other stories with a prince and princess! Well, what does thou think? Well, I'll be back again tomorrow night… I can't wait to hear your reply. Goodbye, er… I never learned of your name… If you could tell me, fair lady… Maybe a name to go with your story? Oh, you don't have to if you don't want to! I-I'm sorry! I should be minding my own business! Well, farewell!" he said before leaving the clearing.

Undyne and Sans were quiet. There wasn't a word spoken. Finally, Undyne started yelling and crying at the same time. "I'VE CREATED THESE FEELINGS OF BEAUTY AND SORROW! I've released him from the Royal Guard to make him write and create lovely, cliche scenarios like these! I don't know what to feel for him! He's found a roleplay partner who he obviously really likes, he has shown us this new side of him, AND HE MAKES ME CRY LIKE A FREAKING BABY! MAKE IT STOP!" Undyne screamed into her phone.

Sans didn't think a single thought about Undyne he sighed and hung up without saying goodbye. Undyne screamed multiple times into the phone expecting for Sans to hear. It took her ten minutes to figure out that he had hung up. Then, she was screaming words of hate towards him before listening to the story Papyrus had finished again in the echo flower.

The next morning, Papyrus was up early. He was making the cinnamon rolls just like he said that he would. Sans was walking down from his room early that morning. When he opened the door, the smell of cinnamon smacked up against his face and he breathed in the heavenly scent. He forgot he was standing and nearly fell over from how amazing it was.

"Papyrus, why are you so amazing at cooking?!" Sans demanded from the top of the stairs.

"Sans! You're awake! You haven't even tried these yet! How do you know that they're amazing?!" demanded Papyrus.

"I can smell them," Sans replied as he warped downstairs and into the kitchen. He gazed at the cinnamon rolls from across the small room. Papyrus looked from him to the rolls and shook his head.

"Sans… They'll be done cooling in five minutes! If you'd like to have a couple then, you may. However, to eat one now would mean that your mouth would either melt or burst into flames!" Papyrus replied.

Sans shook his head. "But I don't exactly have a mouth, do I?" he said as he warped past him and to the counter where they were cooling. He snatched one and warped back to the living room before Papyrus could protest. He laughed a fake maniacal laugh as he held the roll in his hand. Papyrus stopped and smirked.

"Very well then. Eat it if you dare!" Papyrus taunted.

Sans grinned. "Sure I will. In four minutes."

Papyrus sighed and rolled his eyes a little disappointed. He had wanted to see his brother regret his hasty actions to find that he had already taken into account the consequences. He slightly laughed and then shrugged it off.

Finally, after four minutes of waiting, Sans took a bite out of the roll and felt his face just melt from the cinnamon gooey, goodness. He then, literally, fell onto the floor.

"Sans!" Papyrus cried and he ran out to the living room. "What happened?! Are you alright?!"

"Welp, I'm dead now. You killed me with awesomeness."

Papyrus then smirked. "Oh no! Whatever shall I do?! I have killed my own brother by food awesomeness! Now, he lies before me dead. Whatever shall I do?"

Sans decided to play along. "Where shall I go? What shall I do? For I've been betrayed by my own brother. Now, I lay, dead before he. And yet, there is for one reason I fight to live."

Papyrus tilted his head. "Wow. I thought you'd inquire as to why I would ever say such a thing? Even so, why do you fight?"

"I NEED MORE ROLLS! Actually, I've got a friend to visit. Don't suppose that I could go for a walk in the woods?" Sans asked.

Papyrus shrugged. "Very well, Sans! I, The Great Papyrus, resurrect you from the amazing death I've bestowed upon you!"

"Hooray. I live."

"Bye, Sans!"

As Sans walked out the door, he teleported again with the snap of his fingers. He reappeared at the door in the woods of Snowdin. He knocked on the door and waited for a reply.

He waited and waited. Finally, when he was beginning to get a little concerned, when he knocked, somebody answered. "Who's there?"

"Me."

"Me who?"

"Having an identity crisis? That's okay, I completely understand."

They both laughed. Sans was relieved to know that his friend in the door was safe. He sat in the snow with his back against the door and sighed.

The woman on the other side heard his heavy sigh and grew concerned. "Something tells me that something other than joke entertainment has brought you here… What's wrong…?"

Sans jumped at her sudden question. How was she so good at that?! He sighed again. He was here to tell her about it anyway. She spoke to him about once having children of her own. He thought maybe she could help him.

"Well, I mainly came because of my bro, Papyrus. He's been… different lately. You might wanna get comfy because it's a long story and I figured that you'd be the best person to tell it to."

She was silent for a moment and he thought he heard her nod. "Very well… Go ahead. Is there something wrong with your brother?"

Sans poked at the snow trying to figure out how to begin. He'd just take the story slow and steady… Not fast and quick so that she won't be able to understand. Tell it like a real story. _Tell it like Papyrus would._ He thought about the way his brother would put it.

"Okay… Once upon a time, there were two brothers living happily in a peaceful village… One short and lazy, one tall and confident. The tall confident brother, was constantly trying to get the attention of other people. He always wanted popularity. Because he wanted to become a respected person throughout the world in which he lived within. He then decided to join the Royal Guard to gain that respect. After two years of training, the captain finally said that he wasn't cut out for Royal Guard work. The news crushed him. So much that he gave up on that dream and most of his other dreams. He didn't tell his older, shorter, lazier brother because he didn't want the captain to get into trouble," Sans explained.

The woman on the other side gasped. She knew the story Sans was telling was true. Sadness filled her. She thought to herself about it and then listened as Sans continued.

"The older brother knew that he was hiding something. His brother was acting differently. The impact of his dreams being smashed caused him to change his personality severely. That was when… he met someone…"

"Who was it?" she asked curiously.

"We don't know her name. She never told him. He met her through an echo flower. They tell stories to each other through the echo flower and they tell each other stories while acting them out. The older brother talked with the captain who felt bad for him and the brother decided to meet this person who had changed his brother so much. He and the captain… eavesdropped on his conversation with her."

"What became of this?"

"It was amazing. The brother was putting his heart into making the story they've created into a reality. Sound effects, motions, dialogue, everything. I had only heard it from one end of a phone, but it sounded like it was right in front of me. It got the older brother thinking, why? He didn't care about the who. He didn't care about the whats, wheres, whens, and hows. The whys were all that existed. Why did his bro treat this stranger like his best friend? Why was she even whispering stories into the flower in the first place? Why was the brother dedicating so much time to simply acting out a story? Why does this change almost everything about him? WHY AM I ASKING A BUNCH OF QUESTIONS WITH NO ANSWERS TO THEM?!" Sans demanded getting annoyed with himself that he knows so much, yet knows too little.

"Okay, calm down… Is there any more?" she asked.

"Only that… when he was finished. He announced after he said all of that that the Prince who he was from the story loved her. Then, he said that he would like to know her name. I guess that kinda riled me up the most. Was he really in love with her, or was it part of the act? Why would he trust this person if he didn't know her name? Why- I'm doing it again! I need to stop asking questions. Then I got my face melted by cinnamon rolls the next morning and we began roleplaying. I'll admit that was also new."

The lady on the other side thought on all she had heard. Sans waited for her to process everything and to speak only when she had an answer. If he couldn't figure it out, then it would surely take her some time to come up with a logical answer.

"Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with this. Your brother made a friend. He enjoys her "company" and stories so much that he just can't help but return the favor. Like how I return the favor of answering your knock-knock jokes. Actually, the situation of you and me are awfully similar to him and her."

"Yeah, I thought of that… We're both different people, though. That still doesn't answer any of my whys!" Sans said.

"Well, I haven't told you my name. You haven't told me yours. I guess that the nameless friend is normal. Who would tell their name to a stranger? Well, besides your brother Papyrus. Also, I think that the whole love thing is part of the roleplay. The characters can love each other. That doesn't necessarily mean that the people have to. This brings up another topic, too. Why does Papyrus do this? After his dreams of being in the Royal Guard were taken away, he has had nothing to pursue. When he found this, he fell in love with his hidden talent. So, he continued to experiment to see how he can continue to discover more of himself. More of his personality! It's completely normal!" she replied.

Sans thought over what she said. When she put it like that, it did seem normal. Then why did he have a problem with it? "Then, why does it feel wrong…?"

"Maybe it's because you can't adjust to the change."

"...What?"

"I think the reason that this seems wrong is because you aren't adjusting to the sudden change. How long has it been since Papyrus broke away from the daily routine?" she asked.

Sans thought. He couldn't remember. Papyrus never was a fan of doing things different. Normally, he'd freak out if something was done different or "wrong". Now, that completely flopped. Now, Papyrus was the one adjusting to change and he was the one gripping onto the past. Maybe he was the problem. Maybe everything has been changing so much because he wasn't used to it being that kind of different.

"Can I ask you something…?"

"You can ask me anything! What is it?"

"C-Can I know your name?"

There was a silence. Sans didn't know why he had asked. Maybe the fact that Papyrus didn't know his friend's name made him want to know her's.

"I thought that you wanted to wait until we met face-to-face."

"What if that day never comes and we never meet each other? What if we just stand on one side of the door, locked away from each other on one side forever both thinking that one day, the door will open and we'll meet. If something happens, I at least, want to know…," Sans explained. He thought harder. "And, if you tell me your name, I'll tell you mine…"

…

"My name is… Toriel. What's your name?" Toriel asked.

"I'm Sans."

"I like that name. Well, it's nice to finally "meet" you, Sans…," Toriel said.

"It's nice to finally "meet" you too…"


	4. Chapter 3 A Thought

**Chapter 3 A Thought**

As I walked home from the Snowdin Forest, I thought to myself. What was I doing this for? My problem with everything being different is hard to deal with. Was she… Um…, was Toriel right? It couldn't have been the girl giving Papyrus a reason to believe. It couldn't. Maybe it didn't really matter. Toriel was right. I was the problem. I just had to go with it. But why-? … I also need to stop asking so many questions.

Snowdin finally came into view, but I made sure to take my time. I didn't want to quite be back just yet. It would probably drive me mad with everything constantly nagging at me. Without much other choice, I decided to go to Grillby's.

Pushing open the door, I was surprised to find that nobody was greeting me. The only person there was Grillby! Confused, I approached the counter and sat down. He noticed my sudden appearance but didn't say anything. He seemed too occupied with drying the glass cup in his fiery hand. Finally, he places the glass cup neatly with the others and leaves. When he returned, he held a bottle of ketchup and placed it in front of me. I slowly remove the cap and stare at it. I put the cap back on and kinda push it away and slump over onto the counter, just thinking.

"Okay, what's wrong?" asked Grillby.

I glanced up at him. "Just thinking. However, I'm just biding my time. I just don't want to go back to see Papyrus," I replied.

Grillby seemed surprised by my response. "I thought you enjoyed Papyrus's company! Why don't you want to see him?"

"Haven't you noticed that he's been different lately?"

Grillby thought. He nodded after a moment of thinking. "He did come in here earlier and ordered a burger. I couldn't believe his choice. After he said that he hated grease! Then, he guzzled down a huge vanilla milkshake like the world was going to end."

I couldn't help but feel enlightened a little by his choice of words. I sat up and shook my head. "Like I said, I'm just biding my time. It's not that I don't want to see him. I want to see him a lot. I just need some time to adjust to this new him."

"Well, I'd ask why he's changed, but maybe I can save that for another time. I hope you get around to feeling normal again sometime soon. Although might I give you a suggestion?" asked Grillby.

"What?"

"Usually, it always helps me to get over a sudden change by getting into it myself. Whatever Papyrus is doing, I'm sure you can certainly try doing it too," Grillby replied cheerfully.

I take up stories and roleplay? I've never really thought much about my storytelling skills. Sometimes I'd tell Papyrus an original story when he got really bored or scared. Roleplay it? I thought about it. I'd have to have Undyne look in on more conversations first. I nodded my thanks to Grillby and stood to my feet.

"Well, thanks for the suggestion and for the company. I'll be going now. I'll see ya tomorrow."

As I teleported from Grillby's to my front doorstep. I thought about what Grillby said. Getting myself into stories and roleplay. I cleared my throat and gave myself a moment before I entered.

"At last, after leaving the fair lady of the woods, Sans makes his way back to his home to the delicious smell of cinnamon…," I stated. I glanced around. Papyrus was gone. A little disappointed, I huffed. "Man, all of that dialogue for nothing."

I started up the stairs and heard a furious scribbling noise from Papyrus's room. Out of curiosity, I snuck up to the door and cracked it open. With fascination, I watched as Papyrus scribbled down words rapidly onto a piece of paper. He then crumpled up the paper and threw it behind him into a trash can that was full of other crumpled up papers. Finally, a clock in the corner of the room went off and Papyrus put down the pencil and sighed. "Well, I'll be winging it tonight, I guess."

He stood up from the desk and made his way to the door. Terrified, I jumped and teleported down the stairs because who would want to get caught eavesdropping? Papyrus poked his head out the door and slid down the banister of the staircase and made his way humming to the front door without even acknowledging me. He left and I watched through the window as Papyrus made his way towards the Waterfall area.

"Well, someone's in quite a hurry to leave," is all I could bring myself to say with a smidge of jealousy. I closed the window. Welp, time to call Undyne!

Undyne picked up instantly and started yelling at me for hanging up on her. Of course, trying to explain to Undyne was next to impossible so I just cut to the chase. You know, after a bunch of yelling.

"YOU BONEHEAD! You should know better than to hang up on the captain to the Royal Guard! Now you're going to pay! DEARLY!" Undyne shouted.

Somehow, I didn't mind the yelling. I just shook my head and knelt on the floor. "Never mind! Papyrus is coming back to Waterfall. I want you to listen in again. Please," I begged. It was unlike me to think about groveling before Undyne, but I was almost doing it just because of how much I needed her assistance for this.

I heard Undyne slowly exhale and I knew what that meant. She was going to agree! "Fine. But only for Papyrus. I DON'T CARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOU AFTER WHAT YOU DID!"

"Yeah. I don't really care about me either."

After a quick run to the place in the extremely early morning, she was telling me how she was confused on how he knew she had been back around. Only about three hours went by and things couldn't possibly move that fast. But, sure enough, the mysterious being had been back through. Almost by magic, a mysterious wind picked up. Undyne was able to get the phone close enough to pick up what the mysterious female had said. I was amazed by how young her voice sounded. Like a nine-year-old was talking.

 _Your story was beautiful, Papyrus! I've never heard someone perform their story as flawlessly as you! I mean, there's no way you could have thought this up on your own! Did you? What's your secret?! Plus, I don't mind the whole romance thing. I'm just a little surprised by you asking my name. It's been a long time since anyone's asked. Truth is, I don't really have a name. However, if you want to call me something, you can call me…_ _ **Fantasy**_ _. That's what I asked everyone to call me because I was never given a real name. However, enough about this! Let's tell another story!_

I noticed that Papyrus seemed slightly saddened by her lack of a name. Finally, he replied with his much louder voice. "Indeed! On to more plots! How's this?"

"Within the land that existed only in a dream, there was a one without a two. She called and called for her two, but he never came… Finally, the one gave up and tried to move on and forget her dream of love… So, one day, she was out in the market with a spring in her step. A birthday party for her younger sister was around the corner! She was going to pick up the stuff she needed for the cake and a present if she found one good enough. As soon as she bought the items needed, two robbers appeared and shoved her to the ground!"

 _Crash!_

"Oof! You savages! Don't you understand that it's wrong to harm a lady?!" she demanded.

"Ehehe… A pretty little bird like you should stay in your little cage… Don't you know that there are wild animals out for your beauty? **Like us?** " they told her.

"Ahh!"

They tied her up and hoisted her into their wagon. Nobody knew that anything was wrong… She kicked at them, but it was no use. As the robbers were about to leave, a fiery arrow zipped through the crowd and jammed the wooden wheel! The wagon became engulfed in flames! The girl cried and the robbers escaped.

"No way I'm going to stick through this! We can always just steal a new wagon!" they said as they ran.

The girl was still tied up. She screamed for help, but everyone was too busy running away. Suddenly, from within the fire, one man appeared and jumped onto the one safe spot on the wagon just before the girl! He got out his knife and cut her loose. Unable to figure out what else to do, she clung to him for safety.

"Don't worry, I'm here to save you. Not even the claws of this fire shall be good enough to have you," he said boldly.

With a mighty leap, he and the girl sprang from the wagon and onto solid ground! The dust sprang up and the firemen finally came to put out the fire. As the fire died in the distance, the man looked at the girl. "For now, safety be with you. But I assure you, those two shall come again…"

"But if they come, who'll be there to be my hero?" she asked.

"I'll hear your scream from a million miles away. I'll come running to see you to safety."

"But if you were asleep, would you wake up to save me?"

"In a world where evil never sleeps, good shant either. My eyes and ears will forever be sharp for the cries of those in need."

"But those cries! If you shall be injured, or if you shall die, what will they do then?! Will your spirit save them?"

"If by spirit I must, then I shall. Not even death shall prevent me from doing the right thing."

…

"Well, that's about all for now! I'm sorry that it wasn't as detailed or intense, but I was really trying to think up something new to present to you. However, my mind brought me nothing. So, I'm just thinking this up from the top of my head. Whether if we shall continue this is up to you," Papyrus explained. I could hear Undyne was short of breath and awestruck. I couldn't help but somewhat agree with her.

A moment passes and Papyrus listens over his message to take a few notes. He nods to himself and leaves. What he didn't pick up was me and Undyne hiding among the other echo flowers. When he was out of sight, I raced up to the echo flower. Undyne shot past me with a confused expression. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to continue the story."

"How? What are you going to do? Add yourself to the story?! You know you can't do that! Do you know how complicated this is going to become if you just add yourself to the story?!" she demanded. I ignored her.

Turning around, I saw an echo flower that wasn't repeating the story. Kneeling before it, I whispered in a deep voice, "So, they got away… Well, the little bird will soon know that her place is not with her knight in shining armor, but with me… She can never truly understand until she feels the power of my evil. And then, she shall come crawling to my hands… The knight? Oh, he'll get what's coming to him."

I smirked at Undyne. She finally seemed to understand. "You're making yourself the villain? Why?" she asked.

"What's a good story without a good villain?"

"Huh?"

And so a glorious rivalry began.

Returning to my house, I saw Papyrus back to his paper and scribbling away at possible plots. I couldn't help but be excited for his reaction. Would he know right away that it was him? If Papyrus could figure out about Toriel, who was going to say that he couldn't figure out about the entering villain?

"Brother! Glad to see you've returned! Are you feeling prepared to experience yet another bright and amazing day?!" demanded Papyrus.

I yawned and stretched. "Sure, bro. Maybe after a nap or something. By the way, could you make those awesome cinnamon rolls again?" I asked. The memory of the scent wafting up the stairs returned to my memory. Disappointment filled me when Papyrus shook his head.

"I plan on continuing forward. Today, I shall be making something else. Heard of something called "bacon" from Undyne… She said that it tastes amazing. And that it's almost always smothered in grease," Papyrus replied with a perplexed look.

"Bro, you hate grease. Why are you making something you hate?" I asked.

"Because… I want to… Be different from before…," he answered slowly. I jumped at his sudden honesty. I had discovered the truth, but it sounded more important and truthful coming from him. Papyrus could never successfully hide a lie.

Start from the beginning. I wanted to say this, but I refrained from anything. If he wanted to tell me, he can tell me. I don't want him to say anything he didn't want to. So, I let him be.

"I suppose that this was going to happen sooner or later, but Undyne said that she wouldn't let me into the guard. Ever since then, I've been trying new things! Maybe to prove that I am capable of more than she knows… I've been pursuing new heights! Overcoming past fears! Making new friends even! I want to see new worlds open up for me… And… I realized that I've done the same silly things every day… I believe that it's time for a change. What about you, Sans? Have you done anything new lately?" asked Papyrus.

I was amazed. A whole new perspective on the situation was opened up to me. I thought about his question. The first answer that came to mind was yes. Thinking it over, everything in my life, I came to a startling conclusion. He was right. We do the same things every day. Nothing new ever happens. I tell my jokes and hide my inner secrets from others. Papyrus makes spaghetti, patrols Snowdin forest, and makes puzzles. I shoved my hands into my pockets. "No."

"You see, that's why! Let's change something! Anything you want and we may never see it again!" Papyrus chirped.

"Well…, there is one thing…," I stated.

 _Clank! Clank! Clank!_

"There! It's finished! How does it look?!" Papyrus demanded from the top of his handy-dandy step ladder. I nod and give him a thumbs up.

"Looks good!"

"I honestly have no idea why you wanted to increase the height of our sink, but it does give a bit of a flare to the house! You wake up in the morning when- OH MY GOSH! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE- Oh yeah! We increased the height of the sink! I forgot!" I couldn't help but laugh at his impersonation of himself. Well, one thing new. An entire house was still left to go.

A hand rested on my shoulder. "One day, it'll be different every day. We just need that last human to fall and I'll take the human to Undyne. Without a doubt, the barrier will be broken. One day…"

I nodded in agreement. Freedom. Something I haven't thought about in years. It did sound nice. Once or twice, I was tempted to ask Asgore what the surface was like. Why didn't the sun just incinerate all humans because it was so hot? What traditions and customs do humans have? Questions that might one day have an answer. All answers riding on a soul.

Heh.

I can't kill the human. I promised Toriel.

But for a human to fall into the Underground again with a strong enough soul…

Well, that's a thought.

 **What do you think** _ **Fantasy?**_


	5. Chapter 4 Humanity Falls

**(The Roleplay World)**

"Papyrus! Help me!" cried Fantasy. Her arms flailed in the grasp of the seven-headed hydra. "Where's Hercules when you need him?!"

"Fear not, maiden! I'm here to save you from the Overseer's claws!" Papyrus yelled drawing his sword.

The hydra lashed its tail at Papyrus, but he jumped out of the way as if it were nothing, but a magical force from nowhere appeared and snatched Papyrus in mid-jump. He struggled, but it was pointless. The Overseer snarled at Papyrus. A dark figure drifted above the Overseer. The Black Umbra. The Black Umbra cackled at their futile attempts to stop him.

"Papyrus, he's here!" cried Fantasy. She continued to flail to no avail. The Black Umbra ignored her as he stalked through the air and leaned in slowly in front of Papyrus. Fantasy hissed at the Overseer. The Overseer only returned her hiss with a louder snake hiss that made the ground rumble.

Papyrus gazed straight into the eyes of The Black Umbra. He was surprisingly short with a glow in his eye. He couldn't see anything besides the black hooded robe he wore and the glow of his eye. One could easily hear his deep, smooth voice from anywhere. Yet, now that he was right in front of Papyrus, he sounded like an earthquake. "So…, we're finally here… Never thought I'd ever catch you, but here we are…"

"What do you want?! What are you planning to do with Fantasy?!" Papyrus demanded bitterly.

"Nothing much. I just want the magical power that resides within her. Once I obtain it, I can open the door to the Underworld and set free the trapped souls who will then do my bidding. The world will become my own image. When I get bored…" The Black Umbra stopped for dramatic effect. Papyrus began to quiver in fear. "I'll tear the fabric of space and time in two! When there gets to be no point in what you're doing, you stop, right? That's why I'd destroy my paradise."

"You fiend!" screamed Fantasy.

"Exactly."

As Papyrus inspected the figure of his arch enemy, he realized that Black Umbra looked fairly familiar to him. With recognition flashing through his eyes, he slowly spoke the word who he thought the figure was. "Sans…?"

The Black Umbra stepped back. He grinned. Shaking his head, he turned back to the Overseer. "Release him." The Overseer obeyed.

Papyrus stared at Sans with a look of disbelief. His brother was also his enemy. "W-Why?! Why would you do this?! We always looked out for each other! We cared for each other! You were my brother and we loved each other! Was it all a lie?!" When Sans didn't respond, he yelled louder. "ANSWER ME!"

Sans looked at the ground. "We've done all of those things, but even though I was plotting against you, it was all real. I cared you just as much as you cared about me. If anything ever happened to hurt you, I don't think I'd be able to handle it. But I need to do this… You don't understand… I'm being threatened. Threatened by the Overseer. If I don't kill the both of you, I'll get eaten whole. Now, how am I supposed to deal with that? I've stalled as long as I could, but the end is here. The end is now. The end is in my hands. I just have to bring the end upon us…," his hands shook. "I just have to give the word…" His voice shook. "I just have to… I just have to… I just…" He collapsed to his knees. "NO. I refuse to murder you! I refuse to kill my bro! Overseer, I don't care if you kill me, just spare them! Don't let them die over something I couldn't finish… Please…"

The hydra dropped Fantasy to the ground and licked its seven lips with seven tongues. It stormed towards Sans with its claws extended, its mouth growling excitedly, its heads almost getting all tangled up with each other, and its feet on a rampage to reach the victim. The heads began to growl at each other because they all wanted to be the one to make the kill. They began fighting each other.

"Sans!" screamed Papyrus.

Fantasy got back up to her feet. She shot a beam of light at the hydra causing it to stumble back. The Overseer's gill's flared and it began running towards her. Fantasy skipped out of the way just in time for the hydra to become a big blundering mess. It smashed into a wall and the heads began to turn on each other. Fantasy grabbed onto Papyrus's arm who latched onto Sans's arm as they ran for the hills. The red sky gave away nothing about their position. Searching endlessly for an escape, they found one. A cliff.

Sans recognized the cliff and teleported just before it. Raging rapids whirled and crashed at the bottom of the cliff. Papyrus and Fantasy caught up with him. They stared down into the watery abyss. The hydra drew nearer in a fit of rage.

"What do we do?! We can't jump this! And if we jump down this, we'll never make it!" cried Fantasy.

Sans clenched his fists. "You're going to have to trust me on this."

"WHY?! You're the one who tried to kill us!" screamed Fantasy in his face.

Papyrus gave her a stern stare. "He's also my brother…" And with that, she didn't argue anymore.

"We have to jump! There's no choice!" yelled Sans.

"I'll go if you go…," said Fantasy to Papyrus.

"Only if he goes," Papyrus replied to Sans.

Sans nodded and leaped down the cliff. Sure enough, Papyrus and Fantasy followed. The hydra came screeching to a stop right at the edge. It howled in defeat as its prey fell away. Without a choice left, it turned and returned to its home.

The wind smacked their faces as Fantasy screamed in terror as they fell. Papyrus looked to Sans with hope in his eyes. At first, Sans just fell. Once he knew the hydra was gone, he expelled as much of his magic as he could to cushion the fall and to slow the rapids in the river. His power exceeded the expectations of both Papyrus and Fantasy. Water reached up and plucked them from the sky. They cascaded down the water quickly into a frenzy of other rapids. Papyrus yelled in alarm, but Sans kept his cool as he continued to control the rapids. Right as they were about to reach a shore, a rapid too powerful for him to stop caught a hold of him. It burst them forwards and into the sky. Flying through the air, they landed on the shore. Seconds after, the water came crashing down on them. Soaked, they glanced around. Nobody was dead.

"Ugh… I think I broke something…," complained Fantasy.

"You're fine. Well, physically. You might be broken mentally," Papyrus explained with a sigh. He turned to Sans who was coughing up water onto the shore.

"Brother, are you okay?" asked Papyrus placing his hand on his shoulder.

"I… didn't think I'd be able to summon enough magic… D-Don't worry about me… Honestly, the only thing that really matters is if you're okay… I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't forgive me…," Sans said with a distant look in his eyes.

Fantasy stepped up from the ground and swished her hair. "Well, you almost killed us again!"

"Fantasy…," Papyrus reminded her.

"BUT! You did save us, so I suppose I can forgive you," she finished.

"No… I don't want you to… I don't want what I don't deserve… I want to make it up to you. This is a debt that can't be paid. Trying to take your souls and killing you isn't right… Do with me what you wish…"

Papyrus stood from his kneeling position. "I forgive you. Genuinely. You don't have to make it up to me. I understand."

"If Papyrus forgives you, I forgive you!" Fantasy chirped as she squeezed water from her hair.

Sans looked at them both and then back at the ground. "I still don't deserve your kindness."

Fantasy looked up to the sky. "Well, if you want to make it up that badly… Could you tell us where we are?"

They all stared up at the blood red sky as they all realized that they were lost.

 **(Real World)**

"Wowie, Sans! That was quite a segment of the adventure! Not bad!" Papyrus complimented as they went strolling back to Snowdin.

"I know, right?"

Sans had told Papyrus about wanting to join him on his roleplay expeditions. Of course, Papyrus agreed and they started creating even better adventures in their stories. Undyne figured out what Fantasy really was with the help of Alphys. She explained that Fantasy was actually the echo flower itself. So, they were able to all tell stories at the same time. It became a party in Waterfall whenever they all got together. Sometimes Undyne would come, as well. Those were usually the most exciting of all of the sessions. Usually, when she did, a crowd would gather in Waterfall to hear the merry group and the sweet voice of an echo flower.

When they reached Snowdin again, Papyrus ran into the house and burst into his room. He looked up on the Undernet more recipes to try out. Sans glanced up towards Papyrus's room from the bottom of the stairs. Without another thought, he teleported to Snowdin Forest. He knocked on the door.

"Knock knock!" he said to the door.

But nobody answered.

Thinking that maybe she just wasn't there yet or wasn't coming that day, he sat down in the snow with his back pressed up against the door. He started humming to himself as he waited.

About an hour went by. He knew something was wrong at this point. Standing up from the snow, he grabbed onto the door handle and gave it a few hard yanks. It didn't open. Frustrated, he kicked the door and turned away.

Walking back towards Snowdin, he heard a strange noise. It came from behind him. Quick as a whip, he turned to see something he had never seen before. A human stood in the snow, glancing around without a care in the world. Surprised, he hid behind a tree and stood there. The human looked at a tree branch. It was on the ground. They stepped over it. Sans slowly followed behind and accidentally stepped onto the branch. A loud, scary CRACK filled the air. Freaked out, the human flipped around. Sans was gone. They shrugged and continued forward.

"Crunch… Crunch… Crunch…"

The human stopped and turned around. Sans stuck his hand into his pocket and took out the whoopee cushion. " **Human. Don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around… And shake my hand…** "

 _PBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBT!_

The whoopee cushion farted in their handshake and the human smiled slightly as they shook their head. Sans laughed at how hilarious it was. "Ha! The old whoopee cushion in the hand trick! It's always funny!"

"Sure it is…," the human replied.

Being the first time he heard their voice, Sans noticed that they sounded a lot like Fantasy. Shoving the thought aside, he continued his dialogue. It was up until Papyrus showed up that it was normal. When Papyrus showed up, something interesting happened.

"Quick! Hide behind this… Conveniently-shaped… bush?" Sans asked as he noticed that the lamp from before was gone. The human obeyed and dove behind the bush. That was the most normal thing that happened.

 _Clank… Clank… Clank…_

Papyrus arrived in full cowboy boots and a bandana around his neck rather than a scarf. He wore a sheriff's outfit and glanced towards Sans who was very confused. "Well partner…, it appears as if a human is 'bout to mosey on into our little town… So, have you seen anything on your side, deputy?" asked Papyrus with a western accent.

"Well…, if it be a human yer lookin' for, I doubt you find nothin' but a buttload of snow 'round these parts, sheriff," Sans replied playing along.

Papyrus slapped a cowboy hat onto his head and stared towards the bush. "Well, might I ask how a bush grows in the bitter cold of Snowdin?"

Sans nodded. "Well, if ya wanna check, I'd be happy to let ya. I'm going to Grillby's," Sans replied. Just as he was about to walk away, Papyrus stopped him.

"You need to learn to keep out of the saloon for now, sonny. There have been many dogs on the prowl with thoughts of catching this theoretical human…"

"Theoretical…," Sans said with a roll of his eyes.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Papyrus yelled as he threw a bone towards the bush causing it to fall over. The human looked towards Papyrus with fear and put their hands up.

"Oh no! The sheriff! He's gonna catch me! I only wanted to swipe a few horses! Rob a few banks! Anger some thugs! I never meant to get caught!" cried the human.

Papyrus plucked the human from the ground. "You've been caught, thief! Now, you shall go to jail!"

"Oh noooooooooooo…," said the human. They looked up. "Where is that?"

"My garage!" Papyrus chirped.

"Oh."

Sans smirked and placed his hands on his hips. "Papyrus, you just called your older brother 'sonny', threw a human into your garage jail, and became the sheriff of Snowdin. Why don't we introduce ourselves properly?"

Papyrus nodded and placed the human on the ground. "Greetings, human! My name is Papyrus! I specialize in telling fictional stories and acting! Same with my brother, Sans!" Papyrus chirped.

"'Sup?" Sans asked with a wave.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Frisk!" said the human.

Walking back to Snowdin with the human was easy. Papyrus had removed all of the puzzles and if anyone asked, Papyrus just said that he captured the human. Sure enough, no one argued. Papyrus didn't want to turn in the human to Undyne. He wanted the human to become their pet dog named Frisk. That was okay with Sans, so they're living with us now. She really was a great storyteller. Rather than telling Papyrus his story every night, Frisk tells it to him. The house has become a get-together place for drama. Several still thought that it was odd that they'd sound so much like the echo flower friend who Sans and Papyrus still haven't told them about. The day came around where they were going to visit Fantasy and Sans knew he had to come up with an excuse to leave Frisk at home.

"Hey kiddo, don't suppose you can stay here and watch the place, do you? Pap and I have to go see somebody important. You think you can handle yourself?" Sans asked her without giving her time to reply to his first question.

Frisk looked at him sideways wondering what Sans was up to. "Who are you seeing?" she asked.

"Just a friend," Sans answered cryptically.

"Is it Undyne? I know you told me to stay away from her, but I kinda want to meet her! You know, show her that I have better acting skills than she does!" Frisk told him.

Papyrus at that very moment came loping down the stairs. "I don't see why she can't come. The human will be a very valuable asset in our stories! They most certainly have the ability! Surely, you must agree, Sans!"

It was hard to argue with two against one, so he gave in without even trying. Before long, they all were on their merry way to Waterfall to find Fantasy. Of course, Undyne was there to join them. She was grinning as wide as ever. "HEY, PUNKS! Finally showed up, huh?!" she demanded without yet noticing Frisk. Papyrus ran over to Undyne excitedly.

"Undyne! You're here to roleplay with us! That's great!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah, come here ya little cinnamon roll!" she shouted grabbing him and giving him an affectionate noogie on the top of his head.

Papyrus tried not to look offended. "I don't resemble a cinnamon roll in the slightest, Undyne! Can't you just give hugs like everyone else?!" he demanded trying to yank away.

"NO!" Undyne shouted now supplexing Papyrus.

"AHH! PUT ME DOWN!" Papyrus shouted.

"NGAAAAAAAH!"

"Undyne, please, put him down," Sans finally said intervening. With his magic, he separated the two of them and put them back on their feet.

"Awwwww! You're no fun at all, Sans! All good friends deserve affectionate supplexes from me!" Undyne shouted at Sans. Thankfully, she was still smiling warmly which meant that she wasn't mad at all.

Sans shrugged her off and proceeded as if nothing ever happened. "We should really be finding Fantasy before-"

Undyne interrupted him and sprang back to Papyrus. "Hey, Pap! I've got a great idea for this time! What if when the heroes discover that they have no idea where they are, they travel to the great witch, Undyne! Then, I can create havoc with my crazy magical spells accidentally turning Princess Fantasy into a mermaid!" Undyne shouted pointing directly towards Frisk. She blinked in realization when her finger met Frisk. "A… A human?!"

"Surprise, Undyne," Papyrus said.

"A… HUMAN?! How is there a human here and with you two of all monsters!" Undyne demanded pointing a spear straight at Frisk.

"H-Hello… Undyne!" Frisk said innocently. Undyne seemed taken aback by Frisk's voice.

"She sounds exactly like-!"

" _ **Frisk**_ is joining us in our storytelling endeavor! She's really good at it! Better than even I sometimes!" Papyrus proudly exclaimed. Frisk smiled flattered by his praise.

Undyne had an incredulous look on her face. She went over to Frisk and knelt down to their level. "You little shrimp can act? I highly doubt that. Besides, Asgore needs your soul to break the barrier! Give me one good reason to spare you!" she commanded.

Frisk looked a little intimidated by Undyne's stern glare as her one eye pierced into her's. Taking a deep breath, she came up with a solution. "No matter how hard you try, you will never be as good as I am, Undyne! Unless, of course, you care to try and beat me," she replied.

Undyne stood up trying not to get angry with Frisk. "Cocky little thing, isn't it? Well, no matter! I WILL BEAT YOU IN MY SLEEP!" Undyne announced pounding her spear into the ground. Her bright red ponytail lashed at Frisk as she turned towards the area of Waterfall Fantasy was waiting. "Come on, Papyrus!" she bellowed.

Papyrus rushed over to Undyne's side and they began chattering away about stories like they had before. Frisk hung back with Sans.

"Gosh, I can't believe she just let me live just like that! You'd think she'd pack me up in a box, wrap up that box, and then send it to the capital with a big red bow on it to Asgore," Frisk said looking towards Undyne with fascination.

Sans nodded. "Usually, she'd do just about anything to capture a human. But as long as Papyrus and I are here, you should be fine."

A good three minutes went by of walking and Frisk saw a clearing with one echo flower up ahead. It seemed larger than the rest for some reason. Undyne raced up to it, but Papyrus turned back to face Frisk and his brother. "Here we are! That echo flower over there is Fantasy and she tells stories with us!"

"Wow! That's so cool! It's an echo flower that can talk?" asked Frisk.

"Yep. That flower is very special. And not only to just us. Fantasy became famous in the Underground for her acting skills. Papyrus helped out a lot with the whole popularity thing. Now monsters come from all over sometimes to hear us perform. But not today because we didn't really send out any invites or memos," Sans explained.

Frisk's face brightened up excitedly. "So. it's like you throw plays here sometimes?"

"Exactly!" Papyrus chirped.

"Papyrus!" Undyne shouted running back to her friend with a frantic look in her eye. Her gaze kept darting from the echo flower back to Papyrus.

Upon seeing Undyne's facial expression he grew worried. "What? What's the matter? Is Fantasy ill?!" he demanded.

"No… It's much worse… Fantasy isn't talking! Not even repeating phrases like a normal echo flower! Something is wrong!"


End file.
